OK OK I know it has been a while...:)  We have been thru cold weeks, rain, snow ( on Memorial Day!!!!!) and now a massive heat wave..all by the end of May!  I will be happy to get some normal weather which should show up next week. OR so they say :) After all this is New England and the weather can change at a moments notice.

I am on vacation and 2 weeks of this nonsense, above, has not helped matters,... BUT  I have gotten out there and done some serious work nonetheless!

It just goes to show you that all it takes is a fresh set of eyes to show you the treasures we take for granted every day. As in the photo above, taken by a new friend who sits by our pond to capture these super shots...ones I know I am missing as I dig in the daylily beds...! I will feature more of her gentle candid nature shots... she sure has an eye. Thanks Karen!

Which brings me to a subject of spring seedling size..and what to expect.  We are at the mercy of mother nature, especially here up north. I try to plant  this years' seedling crop by May 31st of the year as many have a great opportunity to bloom the following year. By the end of the season (... end of August or September...) the seedlings are a nice hefty size.. as in the second photo below.

Above are newly planted seedlings in May.  Thru growing the season, they end up looking like this below.

Yes... thick and lush like all get out!!  Now they are going to head into winter and this will be the real test for what they are made of.  They have hopefully grown excellent root storage systems so they can weather the worst that nature has to throw at them.  Now I am a risk taker by nature. I have brought southern daylily genes NORTH... and a certain percentage will NOT survive our -11 to -18 degree F winters.  BUT  the rewards of those surviving urge us onward to improve the beauty and strength of our northern bred daylilies.

Here is a photo of a bed this spring. These have done exceptionally well and are my own crosses. I am already 2 generations into using the southern daylilies here. I am very pleased with their vigor.
Their roots obviously carried them thru to our current spring. Most will get larger with each successive year. After this, the surviving seedlings will come up as larger fans in the spring.

This photo below is my risk taker bed. Mostly purchased seeds in here. People who work with greenhouses for hybridizing can stretch their hardiness via an artificial environment. It is not the best way to set yourself up if hardiness in your seedlings is a goal. To eliminate the false sense of security this creates.. it is advisable to work with nature in the natural setting these plants will be subjected to in everyones' gardens.  Hardiness is demonstrated by the seedlings that survive and DON"T survive. It teaches me valuable lessons about which parents to use.  Seedling size is another factor.. which fits right in along with vigor. Both factors are dependent on genes and well as climatic conditions.
Several seedlings were sold from this bed, but they do not demonstrate what I am capable of growing here. I like more vigor than this :) These seedlings most likely will grow to a nice large size by the end of the season. They just need loving care, fertilizer and WATER WATER WATER, I hope to be able to show you a photo again of this bed in the fall.  I will be filling in the blank spaces with some of this years' new seedlings.

That is all for today. Please enjoy all of nature around you. Look forward to the beauty and the abundance!